


The Ground on Which I Stand

by Amy Raine (amyraine)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Drama, Gen, If you only read one work by me, Philosophy, Post Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-26
Updated: 2011-09-26
Packaged: 2017-10-24 01:57:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/257602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyraine/pseuds/Amy%20Raine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When faced with the consequences of his decision on the day of the comet, Aang makes a rash decision regarding Ozai and has to deal with the fallout. Ignores the post-series graphic novels due out in 2012. Although there are pairings, this is not a romance fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Truth

**Author's Note:**

> I read a lot of differing opinions on the series finale, and decided to explore them a bit in fic form. It started as a four part fic called Truth, Duty, Virtue and Honor, but responses to that fic inspired me to write a sequel. It's really one big story and now I get to republish it as one.
> 
> In a way, it's my fanfiction magnum opus. Even though I'm writing longer and more detailed fics, this one demanded the most from me mentally. I tried to write it in a neutral tone, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Aang's decisions either in the series or in the fic. I leave it up to the reader to decide for him or herself what is right and wrong.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph runs into Haru in her old hometown, but their reunion turns sour.

  
_Truth uttered before its time is always dangerous. - Meng Tzu_   


Haru had put the idea in her mind. It was all his fault.

Toph didn't participate in the Earth Rumbles any more. After training the Avatar, developing metalbending, facing the King of Omashu, and taking down a fleet of Fire Nation airships, competing in tournaments that were mostly staged performances had lost its appeal, to put it lightly. Whenever she was in Gaoling, though, she'd slip some coin to the rumble master and hide underneath the platform in a little niche she bent for herself, her hands on the walls, feeling the vibrations of the fights above. This way she could tell who was good and who needed more training, who was trying their hardest and who was throwing the match. She wanted to know who the up and coming benders were, just in case they needed to be put in their place by the greatest earthbender in the world.

One young man--she could tell that he was young and male by the way he moved—fought hard and nearly made it to the final, only to be beaten by the runner-up to the current champion. Not bad, she thought to herself. Style seems familiar though. She snuck out as the second place guy prepared to take on the reigning champ for the belt—that one was a staged match, she already knew the champ was going to win again because his popularity increased ticket sales—and followed the man as he left the arena. By his footsteps she was almost certain who it was, but when he turned around and said, “Okay, why are you following me?” then she knew for sure.

“Haru, you big rockhead, you don't recognize me?” She threw back the hood of her cloak.

“Toph!” he exclaimed with a note of pleased surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here. When I choose to be home, anyway. What about you?”

“I learned all I could about earthbending back at my village, so I decided to leave and find a master who could teach me more. Turns out I know just about as much as anyone here, but I couldn't resist trying my hand at the rumbles.” 

“You didn't do half bad.”

“From you, that's high praise.” They began walking again, heading for the stairs that took them up to street level. “I thought you were still with Aang,” he said.

“His mighty Avatarness has been a little too busy for me lately, what with spending every waking moment with his girlfriend.” She matched his stride, no easy feat for someone with much shorter legs than his.

“Girlfriend..?” Haru's brows creased in puzzlement. “Who?”

“Seriously? You don't know?” Toph snorted. “It's Katara.”

“Katara...” He sounded a little stunned. “I know they traveled together for months but I never got the vibe she felt that way for him...”

“Katara's kind of slow on the uptake. It takes her a while to get a clue. Must be that connection to water. Makes her brain all sloshy.” Toph pointed at her temple, and Haru laughed. 

“She's older than him though, isn't she?” he asked.

“What's that got to do with anything? I'm thirteen, just like Aang. You saying I can't date a fifteen year old?”

As they emerged from the tunnel and stepped onto the cobbled streets of Gaoling, Haru wisely decided to change the subject. “I missed out on a lot after we separated at the Western Air Temple last summer. What exactly happened? I know Aang defeated the Fire Lord—er, ex-Fire Lord, but when I saw you all at Fire Lord Zuko's coronation I didn't get the chance to ask how.”

“Oh.” Toph shrugged and pulled her cloak tighter against the breeze that had picked up. Though it was spring, this part of the Earth Kingdom could still be chilly at times. “He took his bending away. Loser Lord didn't put up a fight after that.”

She felt Haru's pulse race, but his voice was carefully neutral. “Aang took his bending away? He can do that?”

“Apparently some lion turtle taught him. Leave it to Twinkletoes to find species we all thought were extinct.” She laughed, but her seismic sense told her that Haru was frowning. “What's wrong, moustache-boy?”

Softly he answered, “Doesn't that scare you?”

“No.” Toph scowled. “Why should it?”

Slowly, as if he was carefully choosing his words, Haru asked, “What's to stop him from doing it to someone else?”

That made her scowl deepen. “Aang wouldn't. He's too much of a softy. He did it to the ex-Fire Lord because he was trying not to kill the guy.”

Haru was silent for a long moment, which made Toph fidget. She was about to make up some excuse to leave when he said, “I don't know. If I lost my bending, it would feel like a part of me died. I'm not sure I would want to live like that.” He looked down at her. “It would probably be even worse for you, wouldn't it?”

“Thanks for a completely depressing conversation, Haru,” she growled, folding her arms. “Here I was all excited to see you here in my hometown and you went and ruined it.”

“I'm sorry. Want to get some tea with me? I want to hear about you taking down the airships. How did you do that?”

Now that they were on a topic she was much more comfortable with—bragging about herself—Toph relaxed. She spent a nice few hours regaling Haru with all her adventures during and after the comet. Then she promised to spend the next day showing him her particular bending forms, as they were different from the standard earthbending moves. Training Haru wasn't as fun as training Aang, since Haru wasn't as easy to pick on and took most everything she threw at him in stride, but it was still a good time.

Even after they went their separate ways, though, his words stuck with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meng Tzu, also known as Mencius, was a Chinese philosopher of the Confucian tradition who lived in the fourth century BCE.


	2. Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph explains to Aang why she's been avoiding him.

_So I like life and I like righteousness; if I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go and choose righteousness._

Avoiding Aang hadn't been a conscious decision. Really. It was just that she didn't have the patience to sit and listen to the dozen or so letters from Katara and him that had piled up over the winter, much less compose and dictate a response to a hired scribe. So she didn't know where he was going to be. It was just happenstance that she was in Omashu when he was in the Fire Nation visiting Zuko, or up north when he was traveling through Gaoling. Months passed like that, and in that time she had almost made herself forget that conversation with Haru, almost gotten to the point where the pain of missing her friends had overtaken that unnamed, confusing feeling in the pit of her stomach that she had ever since that day.

But when Aang walked into Iroh's shop one day on the cusp of fall, a day where the weather was still hot enough to enjoy a cup of tea outside on the patio, the feeling came back full force and she suddenly recognized it for what it was. Dread.

“Toph! I didn't know you were here in Ba Sing Se!” His voice was deeper than she remembered, cracking at the edges. His fourteenth birthday was soon, if she remembered right, and apparently puberty had caught up to him. The delight and ingenuousness though, that was the same. She put her teacup down, stood up and let herself be hugged, which in this case meant being lifted onto her tip toes. Since when was Aang tall? “Missed you,” he said in her ear, then held her at arm's length. “You haven't changed a bit.”

In response she punched him in the shoulder.

“Ow,” he grumbled, rubbing the spot. “What was that for?”

“Getting bigger than me.”

Aang chuckled ruefully. “Like I said, you haven't changed.”

She could tell through the stone floor that no one was with him. “Where's Katara?”

“South Pole. Training new waterbenders.”

“So what are you doing here?” Toph sat back down and he took that as an invitation to join her. 

“There are refugees in the Lower Ring who were given their lands back and want to go home, but the roads between here and the west have attracted petty thieves and bandits. I offered to escort a group of them. We leave tomorrow.”

Mixed in with her sadness at hearing that Aang was leaving so soon was an odd hint of relief, and that made her mad. You are being stupid, Toph Bei Fong, she told herself sternly. Aang is one of your best friends. Plus, look what he's doing. Helping people go back to their homes. He is a good guy.

The good guy in question was looking at her remorsefully. “I'm sorry, I'd like to stay longer and catch up with you but I already made the plans and I didn't know you were here...”

“Twinkletoes!” she interrupted. “Relax, it's ok.”

“You could come with me, if you don't have any place else to be...”

Why did that make her feel nervous? “Uh, I can't. I've offered my services to General How to train some of his soldiers. Everyone wants to learn my technique, you know, because I'm awesome.”

He grinned at that. “I'll have to come back then. My earthbending's getting rusty and I need some new lessons from my sifu.”

Toph bowed her head, uncharacteristically quiet, and Aang's pulse sped up a little. He knew something was wrong. “Toph, did you get any of my letters?”

“The ones you sent over the winter, yeah.” she admitted. “None since last spring though. I haven't been home since then.”

“Why didn't you write back?” Before she could make a crack about her blindness he quickly said, “I mean have somebody write for you.”

“Dunno, got busy.”

When he spoke again his voice was soft, hesitant. “Are...are you avoiding me?”

“Why would you say that?” she asked in a voice that was way too casual. Toph was great at detecting lies, but couldn't tell one to save her life.

“You are avoiding me. Why?”

“Not on purpose!” she blurted defensively. “Just...it's stupid anyway. Don't worry about it.”

“No,” he retorted. Despite his easygoing nature, Aang's stubborn streak was almost as deep as her own. “You're one of my best friends and I haven't seen you in months. I want to know why.”

“It's nothing.” She was almost whispering it. “Something Haru said.”

“When did you run into Haru? What did he say?”

“Last spring. He wanted to know details about your fight with Ozai, since I guess no one told him. I told him what happened.”

“Okay,” Aang said in confusion. “What's the big deal?”

“He thought it was...scary. What you did.”

The airbender sat back in his chair, his pulse going even faster and his features contorted in dismay. “Is he...are you...worried I'd do that to someone else?”

“What's to stop you?” she snapped, the built up tension finally boiling over.

“It's really hard, for one thing,” Aang explained. “I nearly failed when I did it to Ozai. I don't know what would have happened if I had failed. Lost my own bending, maybe? Gone crazy like Azula? I don't know. Trust me, it's not something I want to do all the time. Only when it's a choice between that and killing someone, only when there's no other way.”

“I bet Ozai would rather you had killed him,” Toph said softly. “I know I would rather die.”

“I wouldn't ever try to take your bending away, Toph.” he replied in a small voice.

“What if I was trying to conquer the world?” she asked.

“But you wouldn't.”

“How do you know? You said it yourself. Everyone has the potential for great good OR great evil. That goes for me too.”

Aang shifted uncomfortably. “The thing I did to Ozai is meant for someone whose spirit is corrupt, who is innately evil.”

“Bison turds, Twinkles.” She jabbed a finger at him. “You can't have it both ways. Either people are naturally bad, or they choose to do bad things. And who gets to decide who is evil, and who isn't?”

His eyes narrowed. “If someone's killing thousands of people, I think he counts as evil.”

“Sure, but where's the line?” She waved her hand. “A thousand? A hundred? A dozen? One? What if it's in self-defense? Who makes the judgment call? You? You're not even fourteen yet.”

“But I'm the Avatar.” Aang said angrily. “That's what I'm expected to do. It's not like I got a choice.”

“No,” she conceded, “but still. You are asking all of us to trust you, that you're not going to abuse your powers or start taking away people's bending all willy-nilly.”

She couldn't see the hurt in his eyes, but she could hear it in his voice. “Don't you trust me?”

Toph sighed. “Yeah. You've always tried to do the right thing. But not everyone knows you like I do, Aang. People are going to be scared of you, even more than before.”

In the silence that followed, she could feel his racing heart slow, hear his deliberate breaths as he calmed himself down. “All I can do is try to be trustworthy and honorable,” he finally said.

“I hope that's enough,” she replied.


	3. Virtue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang confides in Katara, who shows him the good his actions accomplished.

_Human nature is good, just as water seeks low ground. There is no man who is not good, just as there is no water that does not flow downward. - Meng Tzu_

A week later, when the refugees had all been safely escorted to their old lands and the criminals stalking the roads had been delivered to the nearest local authority, Aang finally headed for the South Pole. From that part of the Earth Kingdom, the journey took several days, and what Toph said kept him up nights staring into his campfire. The thought of seeing Katara again motivated him through the endless hours of flying. Talking to her always helped him sort out the mess his feelings usually got in...as long as they weren't about her, that is.

It was nearly noon on the fifth day when he landed inside the village...really a town, now, with tall packed snow walls, several more tents, some newly constructed igloos, and even an ice sculpture garden in the center. That had been Katara's idea, to give her students training in more delicate bending maneuvers. No sooner did he get down than Appa was instantly covered in happy, squealing children wearing thick layers of blue. Knowing they would feed, brush and otherwise keep the bison entertained, Aang walked over to a healing hut built in the style of those at the North Pole. Inside, Katara was explaining chi paths to a small group of older kids of both genders, using a dummy made of ice as a prop. “If girls can learn to fight,” she had said to him back when she first started these classes, “boys should learn how to heal. Any waterbender worth their sea salt should know both.”

With a quick but warm smile she acknowledged his entry. The students, by now used to the Avatar showing up whenever he pleased, glanced at him briefly before paying attention once again. Aang sat off to the side as she continued the lesson. Basic stuff, but crucial to the art. Her engaging, gentle style of teaching had them rapt, making Aang think of his own training almost two years before. 

Finally she dismissed them and they filed out of the igloo. Only then did she settle into his lap and meet his lips with hers. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” His hand drifted to her braid, played with its end. She wore her hair down when traveling through the Fire Nation, while swimming in the Earth Kingdom, and when strolling the paths of one of the Air Temples with him, but here it was always up in the traditional style of her people, the hair loops circling her cheeks.

“How did it go?” she asked him, running a thumb along his jawline.

“Pretty well. Most of the bandits I ran into surrendered rather than fight me, the ones that did were easy to subdue without hurting them. I'm glad, because most of them were just angry people that had lost their own homes in the war.”

In response, Katara hugged him. “Your birthday is coming up.” she said when she pulled back again. “What do you want to do?”

“Spend it with you.”

“Well, yeah, of course.” She slid off and went to retrieve her parka. “Anything else?”

“I'll think about it and let you know.” As they crawled out of the igloo and stood, he spotted Sokka up on a rampart and waved. The warrior waved back enthusiastically, then returned to shouting at...whoever he was shouting at below him. “I ran into Toph at Iroh's shop,” Aang continued.

“Is she okay?” Katara asked, her tone a mixture of concern and exasperation. “Did she tell you why she hasn't bothered to contact us even once in the past seven months?

“Sort of. She says she wasn't avoiding me on purpose, but...”

“Avoiding you?” Shock colored the question. “Why would Toph avoid you?”

Aang stared at his boots. “Can we talk about this somewhere more private?”

“How about we go for a walk?”

Outside the town, the ice stretched out clear and sparkling as far as the eye could see, except for the jagged line where it met the dark water of the sea. There was no trace of the Fire Nation ship that had once been stuck here. Katara had single-handedly melted the ice around it until it loosened, then sailed the ancient craft and its painful memories back to the factories of the Fire Nation capital city. Aang, Zuko and she had watched workers dismantle it and melt the pieces until there was nothing left but molten iron.

They walked along the edge of the ice, the waves lapping gently at the white lip. Katara spoke first. “So...”

“Toph met up with Haru last spring.”

“That's great,” she said. “How is he doing?”

“Good, I guess. They got to talking about the day of the comet. He didn't know all the details, so she filled him in...” his voice trailed off.

“Go on,” Katara prompted.

“I don't know what he said, exactly, but it must have freaked her out a little, which is why she didn't contact us. It got her thinking...”

“Uh oh.”

Aang smiled very briefly before continuing, “...and she and I had a...well, it wasn't a fight. More of a serious debate.”

“Our Toph? Debating?” Katara couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice.

“It sounds funny, but it really wasn't. She says people are going to be scared of me, that they're not going to trust me.”

Katara halted, stopping him and turning him to face her. “Oh, Aang.” She pulled him close, laying her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek on her hair. The wind picked up just then, playing with the edge of his yellow shawl, ruffling the fur trim on her parka. 

“I can see where Haru might be coming from,” she said carefully, and he stiffened. “Wait, let me finish. He doesn't really know you that well, nor does he understand how you did what you did. I don't understand how you did what you did.”

“I can't really explain it.”

“You don't have to,” she said hurriedly. “Listen, when Ty Lee did that chi-blocking thing, it was terrible. It was like she cut off my hands..”

“You're not helping, Katara.”

“...but,” she continued as if he hadn't spoken, “she was following orders. Coerced into them, if you believe her story about Azula setting her net on fire. You won't do that. You'd give your life rather than allow someone to control you like that. You make decisions based on what your heart and gut tell you is right. Maybe someone won't agree with the choices you make, but no one can say that you didn't carefully think about it before deciding.” 

She cupped his face in her hands and held his gaze steady. “That's why, even though that power of yours is frightening, because it's you, it's okay. You won't abuse it. Other people will learn to trust you in time.”

Aang put an arm around her shoulders and they turned to head back. “You always know what to say.” 

“It's because I know you.” Katara circled his waist with her arms. In step they walked like that, the icy walls of her home rising up before them. “Keep in mind,” she suddenly said as they approached the entrance, “that so many people are grateful you stopped the war that they don't care how you did it. Like them, for instance.”

With an arm she indicated the scene inside. Villagers wandered from tent to tent, pausing to chat with friends. Off to the left sat Bato on some furs, his deft hands coaxing a boomerang from a block of imported wood. To the right lay Appa, patiently tolerating the shrieking children as they scrambled up his fur and whooped in joyous victory when they reached the top of his bulk. From somewhere in the back the familiar laughter of Sokka and his father drifted to them on the antarctic wind.

This was a people content and at peace.

Long after the sun set, curled up on Appa and drifting off, he held that scene in his mind.


	4. Honor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeking resolution, Aang visits Ozai in his cell and makes a decision that changes everything.

  
_“Great is the man who has not lost his childlike heart.”_   


It would be nice if the story stopped there.

But things Toph said kept popping up in Aang's mind, often when he was doing some mundane task like grooming Appa or meditating.

 _“I would rather die...”_

 _“Everyone has the potential for great good OR great evil.”_

 _“Either people are naturally bad, or they choose to do bad things.”_

After three days he couldn't stand it anymore, so he sought out Katara. The morning sun turned the ice structures into diamonds, making him shield his eyes with a hand. In front of her igloo, she stood bending water out of the wet laundry hanging on a line before the clothing froze.

“I have to go,” he stated without so much as a 'hello' or a 'how did you sleep?'

“Go where?” she asked lightly.

“To the Fire Nation.”

Another sweep of her arms and water oozed out of the clothes and hovered in the air. “We were just there two months ago.”

“I have to go back.”

She let the water sink to the ground, freezing it as it went, and it formed a shiny stalagmite. “Is what Toph said still bothering you?

He didn't answer, so she pressed on. “What do you think going there will do?”

“I don't know.” 

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“You have your students and your family.” A flying lemur poked his head out of the igloo and chittered. "And Momo." Aang kissed her cheek before turning to go. “I won't be long.”

“You better not be,” she called to him as he headed toward Appa. “You promised to spend your birthday with me.”

“Come on, buddy,” he said, patting Appa's nose before springing aboard on a gust of air. “Yip yip.” 

They landed on the steps of the Fire Nation Royal palace the next afternoon; one group of servants led Appa away to be fed and pampered, another guided the Avatar inside. Aang was used to the formality by now, but he missed the days when he could just walk up to Zuko, shout, “Hey Sifu Hotman!” and giggle as the firebender growled at him to stop calling him that.

In the throne room Zuko looked down from his perch, flames crackling before and behind. They danced and waved in orange and red, powerful but warm and friendly instead of imposing and threatening. Before him an Earth Kingdom ambassador--whose name escaped Aang at that moment--and his retinue stood opposite a Fire Nation diplomat and members of his staff. Their arguing ceased as soon as Aang's presence was announced and he was escorted in.

“Avatar,” Zuko greeted him.

“Fire Lord,” Aang replied with a nod.

“Oh good,” piped up the ambassador, dressed in light robes of spring green and yellow. “Perhaps the Avatar can help us sort out this problem.”

What now? thought Aang with an inward groan, but before he could speak Zuko said, “Though the Avatar has kindly acted as mediator in the past, it is not part of his duties to sort out every minor squabble...”

“Minor squabble!” squeaked the ambassador. The diplomat, for his part, looked like he was biting his cheek to keep from laughing.

“...and,” Zuko continued in a voice that brooked no argument, “it is getting late. I believe it best that we continue this tomorrow morning, when our minds are fresh and our emotions less heated.”

That was funny coming from him, thought Aang, remembering the hot-headed young man of barely a year and a half prior. Mai must be teaching him to talk like...well, like a politician.

With a sniff, the Earth Kingdom men bowed and departed, followed by the Fire Nation group. When the door closed behind them Zuko came down from the dais, relaxing underneath the heavy red robes of office and, despite the longer hair and the five pronged crown, looking a lot more like the runaway prince of a year ago. “Remind me why I became Fire Lord again?”

“The clothes?” offered Aang.

“That's not it.”

“The girls?”

The corner of Zuko's mouth quirked up. “Mai would kill me.”

“Because it was either you or your crazy sister?”

“Oh, yeah.” He walked with Aang to his private dining room off of his study. “So why are you here? I didn't expect you again until late next winter.”

“Um, I'm not going to stay long, but there's something I have to ask you. Can we talk about it after dinner?”

Zuko's remaining eyebrow lifted, but he simply said, “Let me find Mai and get changed.”

By now the cooks knew what to make for Aang without him even asking. Full of vegetable dumplings, noodle soup, and mango ice cream, he set his chopsticks down and stifled a burp. Zuko sat back in his chair, dressed in the red and gold tunic and pants he preferred to wear in private. Mai, wearing her usual dark red and probably armed to the teeth, sipped her tea. Both of their eyes were on him.

“All right, you've eaten,” the Fire Lord said. “What did you have to ask me?”

Aang fidgeted. He had rehearsed this in his mind, but now, staring at his firebending teacher, he found it so hard to speak. “I...I need to see your dad.”

Zuko and Mai exchanged glances. “Well,” she said in her usual dry tone, “that's unexpected.”

“Why?” he asked Aang. “I mean, what do you need him for?”

The airbender sighed. “It's complicated.”

“He sounds like you,” Mai quipped to her boyfriend.

Zuko was clearly puzzled, but he just shrugged. “Okay, Aang. Whatever you need to do.”

They told him how to get to the prison, and Aang excused himself. Down in the section where merchants hawked their wares, he bought a large long sleeved tunic and a small straw hat, which he wrapped up and tucked inside his short yellow robe. A few minutes later, he steeled himself before the forbidding entrance of the Capital City prison and descended into the dark underground maze of cells.

A helpful guard led him to Ozai's cell. Aang could barely make out a figure in the dark shadows behind the iron bars. Instead he heard the voice that had once invaded his nightmares. “Avatar. Did that whelp send you?”

“No,” he answered, sitting crosslegged before the cage. “I came of my own accord.”

The figure moved, light from the torches behind Aang flickering over hollow cheeks and causing amber eyes to momentarily shine before they retreated back into the dark. “To gloat?”

“No.”

“I don't want your pity,” Ozai snarled.

“You don't have it,” Aang answered coolly. “You're a terrible man and you needed to be stopped. I'm not sorry.”

“Great,” he rasped. “Now that's settled, be gone.”

Aang didn't move, instead concentrating on his breathing. The only other sound in the cramped room was the ex Fire Lord's own breath, puffing like one of his war machines. “Why are you still here?” he finally asked.

“What is it like?”

“What's what like? Prison?” A pale thin hand moved into the light, indicating the cell. “Exactly what it looks like.”

“You know what I'm talking about.”

Ozai edged out of the shadow then. His unwashed hair lay limp and stringy over his shoulders, covering his left eye. His right eye glared fiercely at Aang, but when he spoke it was in a soft whisper. “Do you have someone you care for, Avatar?”

Aang nodded warily.

“Imagine that she is taken from you and killed in front of you in the most excruciatingly painful way possible, and you can do nothing to stop it.” His face was gaunt, skull like. Aang knew that Zuko wasn't cruel, that he made sure the prisoners were fed simple but nourishing food. Ozai would only be that thin if he was refusing to eat. “That is but a small taste of what it is like.”

Then he turned his back on Aang and stared at the floor.

“Do you wish I had killed you instead?” the boy asked his former enemy.

His head lifted. “Are you offering to now?”

“No.”

Ozai grunted and bent forward again. “What I want,” he whispered to the filth-encrusted stones, “is what you stole from me.”

Aang stared at his hands, but what he was seeing was the blue glow that had poured from them into Ozai, completely overwhelming the red light that had emanated from him. “Even if I wanted to,” he said. “I don't know how. I only learned the one technique. I'm not even sure it's possible.” 

“Then do me a favor and leave me to my misery.”

Aang looked up. “But what if there's a third option?”

“Please, monk,” the prisoner sneered. “Enlighten me.”

In response Aang stood and poked his head out of the room. “I'm really, truly sorry about this,” he said with all sincerity to the guard standing outside. Then he bent up walls of stone around him so that the guard was trapped in a box taller than his head, the top open so that he could still breathe. Turning back to the bars, he pulled out a small bag of water like Katara usually carried, bent some out, and froze it around the lock. He jerked his arms sharply, and a stone flew out of the wall to crash into the lock. It fell apart with a crack and the door swung open. Then Aang brought his fists down, his legs spread and firmly planted in a way that would have made Toph proud--except that she'd be screaming that he was an idiot if she knew what he was doing-- and a hole opened in the ceiling. Dirt rained down upon him, staining his robes.

By that point Ozai had gotten to his feet, but had not yet left the cell. Aang gazed at him. “Are you coming?” When he didn't move, the airbender added, “This is a limited time offer. Guards have probably already heard the commotion and are sure to be here soon.” 

Suspicion mixed with curiosity and confusion on the ex-Fire Lord's face, but he emerged and stood next to Aang. The young man brought his fists up and the stones of the floor separated in a neat slab and lifted them up through the hole. Aang bent away the dirt, creating a tunnel that ramped upward, and they hurried up it. 

“Why are you doing this?” Ozai asked him, dodging clumps of earth and stone that fell from the low ceiling of the tunnel.

“Because,” Aang said through grunts of effort, “I have to believe that there is good in everyone. I have to believe that people aren't born evil, but only choose to act evil...and therefore, can choose to do good. If we are born good or bad, if our actions are inevitable and fate set in stone, then what's the point of incarnating over and over? I refuse to accept that we are doomed by destiny and by natures that we cannot change. I believe that those who have done wrong can redeem themselves. Even you.”

His old enemy made a scoffing sound. “You're still a child, even now. I could easily go get my daughter and wreak havoc across the world.”

“You could,” Aang agreed. “But the point is, you choose.”

They emerged in an alley between factories several blocks away from the prison entrance. Both their faces were streaked with dirt, their clothes brown with mud. Out on the street, workers streamed home after a long day. Aang held out the tunic and hat, and Ozai took it, shrugging the tunic on over his prison garb. 

“I can give you a ride somewhere,” Aang offered.

“No. I know where to go from here.” Ozai fixed the boy's gray eyes with his own. “Understand this, Avatar. You do not have my gratitude. I curse the day you were born. So I will leave you with this. Whatever I may do from this point on, you can never be sure if I do it because I have changed, or only because I no longer have the power to do what I truly want.”

With that, he put on the hat and blended in with the crowd.

Aang stood there as twilight fell over the city and shadows stretched up the factory walls on either side. Then he went back into the tunnel, to the distant shouts of alarm below.


	5. Consequence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Fire Lord's fury is frightening indeed.

_"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand." — Thich Nhat Hanh_

The chains were more symbolic than anything else; no one could hold a fully realized Avatar if he didn't want to be held. Aang allowed the guards to yank him through the streets of the Fire Nation capital to the caldera and the palace that lay at its center, using airbending to keep himself on his feet as they jerked him along. He tried very hard to not notice the crowds of whispering people that poked their heads out of homes and shops to watch him go by. _They spent a long time thinking of me as their enemy,_ Aang mused, _and it's only been a year since I was first welcomed here openly. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how easily they go back to hating me again._

Guards and soldiers swarmed all over the palace, reminding Aang of smaller black and red versions of the giant sand beetles of the Si Wong desert. A messenger hawk must have preceded them with the news. Six armored men stood outside the throne room, stepping aside as Aang's escort shoved him inside and slammed the double doors behind him. Aang stumbled, but regained his balance and attempted some semblance of composure. Before him three men stood, turning to glare down at him. One was the head of the palace guard; Aang had met him a few times. By their uniforms the other two appeared to be the prison warden and the captain of the city guard. Beyond them, the flames at either side of the Fire Lord were so tall that they threatened to set the ceiling on fire, and so bright that Aang had to squint just to make out the outline of his friend. If Zuko was still his friend after this.

The dark figure between the flames thundered in Zuko's raspy voice, “The search?”

“Began as soon as the prisoner's escape was discovered, my lord,” answered the warden.

“The Lady Mai?”

“In her rooms with guards at every entrance,” said the palace guard captain, “making sure we all are aware of her displeasure at the situation.” Aang couldn't help smiling at that, but the smile was small and died quickly.

“Set double the watch on Azula.” the Fire Lord ordered. “Four people surrounding her room at all times, and twice as many as normal outside the hospital.”

“Right away,” said the city guard captain. The group bowed and departed, turning up their noses at the Avatar as they passed him.

For a moment, the only sound was the crackle of the fire and Aang's own breathing. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he told himself it was from the heat. Finally, the silhouette came down from beyond the wall of flame, shifting into the familiar features of the young man who had once given up everything to become his teacher.

Zuko stopped less than an arm's length away from Aang, piercing him with a furious gaze. The firelight gleamed off of his crown and shoulder-length hair. His scar seemed to pulse. When he spoke, his voice was low, thrumming with barely controlled rage. “Start explaining.” 

A part of Aang wanted to yell back, I'm the freaking Avatar and I put your butt in that throne so don't talk to me like that, but he inwardly shushed that part up. “I had to do it,” he said, painfully aware of how lame he sounded. 

“You have to do better than that,” Zuko snarled. 

Aang closed his eyes, took a deep breath and centered himself. Then he calmly met the Fire Lord's gaze. “I had a conversation with Toph that made me realize that the way I defeated your father may have not been as,” he paused, seeking the right word, “merciful as I once thought. I needed to see for myself just how bad it was. Did you know he wasn't eating?”

“Of course I knew,” Zuko replied through gritted teeth. “But what was I supposed to do about it? I provided food, water both to drink and to bathe with, a clean mattress, everything to make him comfortable...because even after all he has done to me, he is still my father and I refused to be as cruel as him. It was not my problem if he wanted to starve himself, and it wasn't your problem either, Aang.”

“Yes it was. I put him there...”

“No,” Zuko interjected. “He put himself there, because he would have destroyed the world if you didn't stop him. Or did you forget that part?”

“I did not forget.” Aang said, punctuating each word. “But I didn't want to destroy him, either, and some of our friends think I did just that. That maybe what I did was just as bad as killing him, at least in his eyes. I can't take back what I did, but I could give him a second chance.”

The firebender pinched the bridge of his nose as if a headache were coming on. “You put me, my fiancee, my mother, and anyone who supports me in danger, and gave my enemies someone to rally around, all because you had a crisis of conscience?”

Gold eyes stared into gray ones for a moment that seemed to stretch out forever, until Zuko abruptly ordered, “Follow me.” In a rustle of robes he strode off toward his study, accessible through a hidden door behind the throne. Still chained, Aang followed. In their rush and nervousness at capturing a unbelievably compliant Avatar, the guards had forgotten to search him, so he still had his water bag. He could try to freeze the lock of his shackles off, since he didn't have Toph's talent for metalbending—but Zuko might see that as an insult and he was already in deep enough trouble. 

In the study, the Fire Lord gestured to a seat while he fiddled through a pile of scrolls on a shelf. Some rolled off and landed on the rug with a soft thump, but he ignored them. Selecting one, he sat down and held it out to the airbender. “Read,” he commanded.

Fumbling slightly because of the limited motion of his arms, Aang unrolled the scroll. It was a letter, inked in a shaky hand.

 _To our esteemed Fire Lord, leader of our great nation,_

 _My mother was born when Sozin's comet visited one hundred years ago, while her father was away fighting in the war. My grandfather lost his life on the raids of the Southern Air temple, never meeting his only child. We had been told that destroying the Air Nomads was necessary because they meant the Fire Nation harm—the lies about their supposed military did not enter our homes and schools until the reign of your grandfather Azulon, but we did believe that because the Avatar was among them, they could in fact harm our country._

 _My mother loved our nation when she was young, despite losing first the father she never knew, then a half-brother to the constant wars of your predecessors. However, when her husband, my father, died in the siege of Ba Sing Se, my mother's patriotism turned to ash. She passed away a few years ago believing that the war would never end, and that more of our blood would be shed on foreign soil in the name of power._

 _Because of you and the Avatar, my grandchildren will grow up in an era of peace. I no longer have to watch my loved ones march off to fight, never knowing if I would see them again. Many feel the same as I do. We wish you long life and prosperity, for your good fortune is ours._

 _Ever your loyal subject,_

 _Kuo De_

“She is an eighty year old woman from a village off the north coast of the middle island,” Zuko said. “I invited her to the palace last year after receiving her letter. She has nine grandchildren. The youngest is about a year younger than you.” 

He propped an elbow up on the shelf, holding his head up with one hand. “This year has been awful. Half the nobility is waiting for me to slip up, the other half is too apathetic to put up much of a fight. Nobody approved of my decision to allow the colonies to be self-governing even though that was the best solution Kuei and I could come up with. I'm trying to reintegrate hardened soldiers into lives as farmers and merchants. My uncle helps with advice when he can, and so do Mom and Mai, but for the most part, I'm alone.” He gestured to the scroll. “Letters like that keep me going.”

Aang nodded in empathy and rolled up the scroll back up, the chain of his wrist shackles clinking as he leaned over and set it on the desk. “You helped a lot of people, Zuko.”

“No, Aang,” Zuko corrected. “ _We_ helped a lot of people. And now it's like none of that matters to you.”

“That's not true,” Aang said heatedly. “But, I have to think about everyone. Even my enemies.”

“How nice,” the firebender replied with bitter sarcasm. “More Air Nomad philosophy? Or is that an Avatar thing?” He raised his hand when Aang made to speak again. “You know what? I don't care.” 

Zuko began to pace. “You have to understand the position you put me in. If I do nothing, I will look like a puppet ruler even more than I already do, because what does it matter what I do when the Avatar can just barge in and reverse my decisions? My political enemies will use that as an excuse to cause unrest and dissent, and then someone will come along and challenge me to an Agni Kai. I'd either successfully kill him, or I'd die and you'd be dealing with a whole new Fire Lord.”

“So imprison me.” Aang offered.

The Fire Lord stopped and rolled his eyes. “Come on, Aang. There is no prison in the world that could hold you.”

“I wouldn't escape. On my word.”

“Then I'd have the entire Southern Water tribe on my shores with your girlfriend in the lead. Your girlfriend who can control people with her bending. Thanks but no thanks. Besides, you have a duty, same as me. I can't keep you from that.” 

He slumped down across from Aang, rubbing a temple. The five-pronged, flame-shaped crown glinted in the rays of the afternoon sun streaming in the window. Zuko suddenly seemed extremely tired. “You know what burns me the most?” he asked softly. “You sat there in my home, eating my food, and never once mentioned what was bothering you. I thought we finally trusted each other.”

Aang slouched down and stared guiltily at his chained hands, knowing there was no adequate response to that. After a long, oppressive silence, he finally asked, “So what happens now?”

“I don't know.” Zuko shot him a narrow-eyed glance. “Someone like my father or grandfather would probably execute you, if they could hold you down long enough.”

“I'm lucky you're not them,” Aang joked, though his voice was shaky

Zuko wasn't laughing. “Yeah, you are,” he snapped, rising once more. “Urrgh!” He sent a bolt of flame at the wall. It left a char mark that joined several other marks on the polished wood. “I can't just let this go! I can't appear weak!”

Staring at the black marks, an idea came to Aang. “This is an honor thing, right?”

Zuko turned to him, eyebrows drawn together. “Yeah..?”

“So, what if we did an Agni Kai to settle it?”

The puzzlement on the Fire Lord's face quickly gave way to shock and appall. “Tell me you're kidding!”

“Not at all. It would let you save face, right? I mean, no one would blame you for losing to the Avatar...”

“Lose!” Zuko growled. “Who said I'm going to lose! I'm your teacher!” Then, realizing what he was saying, he shook his head and waved his arms. “Wait a minute, wait a minute. You can't challenge me to an Agni Kai!”

“Why not?”

“You're not a citizen of the Fire Nation!”

“True,” Aang replied in a deliberate, measured tone, “but I am a firebender.”

His face scrunched up in frustration, Zuko reached over to a hanging gong and banged it with the attached mallet. A servant poked his head into the room. “Call a Fire Sage, now,” the Fire Lord commanded.

Several tense minutes later, an sage was shoved into the room, adjusting his tilted hat and rumpled garb. He rubbed baggy, wrinkled eyes and blinked at them. “My lord?”

“Agni Kai,” Zuko barked. “Who is eligible to participate?”

“Er,” the sage stammered, “as I'm sure you already know, Agni Kai is a duel between firebenders...”

“The rules specifically say 'firebenders'?” 

The old man looked completely baffled. “Uh, yes.”

“Is there anything about what nationality they have to be?”

Now the Fire Sage's eyes traveled to Aang, realization dawning in them. “No, my lord. Though, to be honest, it's never come up before...”

Zuko cut him off, his fiery attention completely on Aang. “Do you really want to do this? Do you really want to challenge me? Over _him_?”

The younger teen cast his eyes down, his shoulders sagging. “I just want to make things right, and if this allows you to keep your honor intact...”

Zuko closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and snarled. “One thing I learned in my banishment is that an Agni Kai is a lousy way to solve problems.” He exhaled loudly and angrily, but when he spoke again his voice was controlled. “All right, you'll get your duel. Tomorrow...”

“Actually,” Aang interrupted, a little timidly, “can we wait for Katara to come?” He quailed slightly under Zuko's glare. “You get to have your girlfriend here...”

The firebender frowned. “Fine. I'll send a ship.”

“I can send Appa. He'll know to find her and come right back. Would be faster.”

“Whatever.” The Fire Lord addressed the Fire Sage. “You may go. Send in the guards in your way out.” They entered seconds after the sage left, and Zuko commanded, “Escort the Avatar to his bison, and then to his rooms.” As Aang stood, Zuko muttered, “I can trust you not to run off, right?”

“Of course,” the airbender replied, genuinely hurt. 

“Can't blame me for asking after this mess you put me in.” Zuko spun around and went to the window, a clear sign of dismissal. 

At the door, Aang looked over his shoulder. “Can I at least get these shackles off?”

“Take them off yourself,” the Fire Lord answered coldly. The guards led the Avatar away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thich Nhat Hahn is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and philosopher of the Zen tradition. He is the author of over 100 books.


	6. Conscience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara arrives, Aang and Zuko fight the Agni Kai.

  
_"There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts." - Mohandas Gandhi_   


“Where is he?” roared Katara a couple days later as she stormed into the palace and made a beeline for the throne room. She had not spared time to change out of her thick Water Tribe clothes and boots, and sweat broke out on her forehead.

“Uh, Master Katara,” stuttered a waiting guard, “as our honored guest, if you would allow me to escort you...” 

She ignored him completely and threw open the throne room doors. “Zuko! Where's Aang?!”

The Fire Lord sat cross-legged on the dais underneath the huge dragon sculpture, dressed in his usual robes of office, the fires burning low on either side. Mai was seated comfortably on a cushion beside him, dressed an elegant outfit not quite like those she would eventually wear as his wife but with gold trim that befitted her status. Neither displayed any emotion. Instead of answering her question right away, Zuko addressed the guard who had followed Katara and was now cautiously poking his head in. “Bring the Avatar here.” Then he finally spoke to her. “How was your journey? Are you hungry?”

“Hungry?” she sputtered. “Appa showed up at my village yesterday, no one with him, just a scribbled note saying that I had to come here right away. I have no idea what's going on, and you're asking me if I want food?”

“Your boyfriend,” he said, nearly spitting the words, “can explain it all to you.”

“You may want to eat first, though,” Mai added dryly.

Katara spun as the doors opened and Aang stepped in, looking unharmed but nervous, two guards on either side. At seeing him her anxiety and anger melted away. She ran to him and enveloped him in her arms. “I'm so glad you're all right!”

He hugged her, but his expression when she pulled back to look at him was not all right. “What's wrong?” she asked, concern and puzzlement starting to worm its way back up her belly again.

Aang wouldn't meet her eyes. “Um, it's a long story. Can we talk over lunch?”

Katara's nostrils flared in mild frustration, but she followed Aang to the room he had been staying in. The guards stayed at their sides the whole walk, and lined up outside the door when they entered. That wasn't right; Aang and she usually had free rein in the palace to wander around as they pleased, within reason. It wasn't license to barge into the Fire Lord's private quarters whenever they wanted, of course, but he trusted them to behave properly. Never did they have guards, especially not so many. The concern crossed over into fear. “Aang, what's going on?” 

Aang gestured to where, opposite the little bed, a small, low table was set with two place settings. “I've sent for some food. Please join me. I will explain everything.” 

They knelt at the table. Katara thought her boyfriend would start talking then, but he just sat and stared at his folded hands. A servant entered shortly thereafter with a covered bowl; she set it between them and scooped some of the spicy noodles into the smaller bowls set in front of each of them. Aang picked up his chopsticks, but Katara folded her arms and gave him an expectant stare.

“Aren't you going to eat first?” he questioned, but at the raise of her eyebrow he sighed in resignation. “Yeah, okay, let's get this over with.” After a deep breath, he said, “I broke Ozai out of prison.”

“You what?” Katara's yell echoed through the walls of the room and down the hall. Aang cringed. “Why would you do that? What were you thinking?”

“You know what I was thinking,” he answered.

She threw her arms into the air. “I didn't think you were thinking that! I thought you would show up here, Zuko and Mai would talk some sense into you, and you would come home!”

“He wasn't eating,” Aang muttered to his knees. “He looked so awful. I had to do something.”

“He tried to destroy the world! He wanted to kill all of our friends and everyone else! He deserved to rot! He deserved to die!” Katara trembled with indignation. “You've put our friends, our good friends, in danger over some ridiculous, overblown, misplaced sense of guilt...” She covered her face with her hands and tried desperately to compose herself.

After a few deep breaths, she dropped her hands and said in a somewhat calmer tone. “I'm sorry for yelling. I've been beside myself with worry that something had happened to you and now to hear this...” She shook her head. “Even though we talked about what Toph said and how it bothered you, I still don't understand what made you do this.”

Aang still didn't meet her eyes, and his fingers twiddled the chopsticks. “I wanted to give him a second chance.”

Katara furrowed her brows. “A second chance to do what, exactly?”

“Mend his ways. Become a better person.”

She snorted derisively. “You've got to be kidding. People like him, they don't change.”

Finally Aang looked up at her, his stormcloud eyes like a spear aimed directly into her soul. “Do you really believe that? You're the person who always gives people the benefit of the doubt, who always sees the best in people and wants to believe that there's good in everyone.”

It was her turn to look away, but her voice was cold when she replied. “Most people, maybe. There are a few that are past redemption.” The image of her mother's killer groveling in the dirt before her flashed into her mind.

“If Toph's right,” said Aang, “what I did was punishment enough. Think about it. What if it was you? What if your bending was taken away?”

“Well you're the only person who can do that and you wouldn't do that to me so...” The words came out in a rush, sounding false to her ears.

Aang poked at a noodle with the end of his chopstick. “Not normally, no. But if you were a big enough threat...” At the sight of her eyes widening he quickly added, “Not that you ever would be, of course.”

In that moment, another image appeared in her mind: Aang grabbing her with his hands, mystically delving into her and twisting the flows of energy so that they dried up like a creek no longer fed by the rains. Whether that was how he did it to Ozai or not, the picture still struck a chord of fear deep down. Her heart began to beat wildly. It just never occurred to her...of course it wouldn't happen, but still...that small possibility that she could be a victim of...

“I don't think I'm hungry,” she whispered, and got to her feet.

As she opened the door to leave, he stopped her with, “There's more.”

“More?” she asked with a slight, bitter chuckle. “What more could there possibly be?”

“I willingly turned myself in, which is why I'm here. But Zuko won't imprison me since I'm the Avatar and I might be needed somewhere. If he just lets me go, though, it would mess things up for him politically. So...I suggested an Agni Kai so he could save his honor.”

Katara's mouth dropped open. She finally murmured, “He got his scar in one of those, didn't he?”

“Yeah.”

Her voice rose again, she couldn't help it. “So you brought me here to watch one of you kill the other?”

Aang held up his hands and waved them frantically. “No, no! It's not to the death!” He paused, and rubbed his head. “I'm pretty sure it's not to the death. We haven't actually discussed the terms.”

Katara huffed and rubbed the ache that was growing in her forehead. “When is this farce happening?”

“Tonight,” came a level voice from the hallway, and they both jumped. Mai appeared at Katara's side, looking past her at Aang. “It's important that we resolve this quickly,” she said. “The guards will be here to fetch you two shortly, but I figured you'd like a little time to...” her glance flicked to Katara and back, “...prepare.”

“Mai,” Aang began, but faltered. Finally he said, “I'm sorry.”

The future consort of the Fire Lord stared at him for several seconds. Then she said, “You should be,” before pivoting and heading back the way she came. With a last look at Aang, Katara followed out and closed his door.

Nearby the same servant girl—Lian, that was her name—waited to show Katara to a guest room. Even though summer was technically over, the weather was incredibly hot and her layers of clothing stuck damply to her skin. She could just take off the undershirt and keep the tunic, but there was a better option. A while back, Zuko had gifted her some outfits, styled after the current fashion in the Fire Nation but dyed in shades of blue and violet. One of these was laid out on the bed in the room...not that she'd be here long enough to use that bed this time, but it was nice to put on something cool, rebraid her hair, and wash her face. 

Lian was still hovering outside her room when Katara finished—no matter how often she came here, she never got used to someone always around to wait on her. Without being asked, the girl guided her to where the Agni Kai room was. 

Katara had never been to this part of the palace. No one went near it, as far as she knew. A single door with a stylized flame led into a huge room that reeked of ash and painful memories. No windows were in the walls; light was provided by torches placed at regular intervals. A raised platform ran down the middle, lit by additional fire pits on gold stands at each corner. Aang had already climbed up onto one end, having substituted a ceremonial short cape-like thing, dark pants and a red sash for his usual Air Nomad clothing. The firelight played over the scar under his breastbone, enhancing the contrast between it and his skin. 

Beyond tall columns on either side of the platform were risers for sitting on. Mai was already seated in them, her hands primly folded in her lap. Katara sat near her, but not too close, unsure of how friendly to be now that this wedge had been driven between them. The only other spectators were the Fire Sages, here to adjudicate if there was a dispute over the outcome. Other than the usual retinue of guards, no one else was allowed in. 

Katara knew the basic details of Zuko's first Agni Kai, the story teased out of the firebender in bits and pieces over several conversations during the past year and a half. According to him, the duel between his father and him was well attended. She felt a sudden rush of gratitude that Zuko kept this a private affair. 

Speaking of whom, the Fire Lord stood at the other end of the room from Aang with one of his personal servants, who was helping him out of his robe. The man then placed a matching cape on Zuko's shoulders. The sash the Fire Lord wore was not plain red like Aang's, but bordered in dark red and bearing a triangular pattern. Zuko's own lightning-induced scar stood in stark contrast to the pale skin of his torso. Wonder how much else they have in common, Katara thought, not for the first time.

The Fire Sage in charge coughed and stood, drawing everyone's attention to him, and announced, “For the benefit of those who are not entirely familiar with our customs, this Agni Kai will be fought until one of the duelists yields, or is unable to continue. Due to these unusual circumstances, I am adding this additional rule: if you use any bending other than firebending, Avatar, you forfeit the match. Agreed?”

Aang nodded once.

“For the official record, would you, Avatar, please state the terms if you should win?

“If I should win,” Aang responded, his voice ringing through the room, “the search on former Fire Lord Ozai will be called off. If he should be found anyway, he will be allowed to live undisturbed, unless he actively attempts to harm someone or commits a crime within Fire Nation borders.” 

He must have been thinking about this a lot while confined these past couple of days, Katara thought.

The sage nodded gravely and turned to Zuko. “My Lord?”

“If I should win,” Zuko said, “Ozai is mine to do with as I see fit, and the Avatar will no longer be allowed to enter Fire Nation territory until I decide to pardon him for his act of dishonor.” 

That was actually nicer than I expected. He left open the door for eventual forgiveness. Katara shot a quick glance at Mai, who was unmoving and unreadable. I wonder what she's thinking.

“Please take your positions,” the sage requested. Zuko turned, knelt down, closed his eyes and took several slow breaths. The fire in the torches around them seemed to flicker in time with his inhalations. Aang followed suit, seeming less sure. After a long, tense moment, they turned and faced each other, the capes falling to the floor behind them. Zuko slid into position, his left arm extended, the right crooked at his hip, legs spread in a strong stance. Aang mirrored him, right arm out, left arm bent.

“Hm,” said Mai softly, her eyes still straight ahead. “It appears that Aang read the scrolls detailing Agni Kais. I hope for his sake he remembers what he learned.” Her words made a tiny gush of fear spring up deep inside Katara's belly.

It only grew larger at the Fire Lord's next words. “I'm not going to hold back, Aang,”

“I know,” the airbender replied quietly.

The sage struck a gong, and fire appeared at Zuko's hands. He swirled it around and punched forward, sending a jet of it at Aang. The younger teen easily leaned out of the way of the blast, then jumped as a kick from Zuko sent a wave of fire along the ground at him. The sages squinted to make sure it wasn't an airbending-propelled jump, but seemed satisfied that it wasn't.

When Aang dodged a few more times without firing a single shot in return, Zuko growled, “Come on. Fight back. Or are you not sure you did the right thing after all?”

Aang flinched at that, just as Zuko bent another ball of flame at him. It struck his shoulder, and he cried out. So did Katara, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. Mai's glance flickered to her for a split second before returning to the duel, but Katara thought that she saw sympathy there.

Zuko circled back, arms still up and ready. With a new hardness in his eyes Aang resumed his stance, stepped forward, and kicked his leg out. The gust of flame was powerful; Zuko captured and dissipated it only with considerable effort. “You've been practicing,” he conceded, “but your root is still weak...here!” and he dropped and swung his own leg in a wide circle to trip Aang. The Avatar nearly fell but tucked into a roll instead, getting quickly back to his feet. 

“You'll have to do better than that, Sifu Hotman!” he shouted, and it almost brought a grin to the Fire Lord's face. Almost.

They spoke no more as their concentration went back to the duel. Fire volleyed back and forth between the two young men for what seemed like an eternity. Flame singed skin on both of them, leaving blistered red patches behind. For a while they seemed evenly matched, neither giving ground to the other. 

As time wore on, however, it became clear that Aang was wearing down. From the countless practice sessions she has watched (and in the case of water, helped in), Katara had seen Aang improve in all three arts. His ability with them wasn't quite equal to his mastery of air, but he could hold his own against all but the greatest masters of each bending discipline. However, the Avatar's strength was in using all four arts in conjunction with each other. Katara could tell as Aang fought that he wanted to throw up a rock wall, send out a water whip, or bend himself up on a breeze, and the effort of restraining himself was almost as exhausting to him as the firebending itself. Having a single bending discipline to master meant that Zuko had the greater stamina—though a light sheen of sweat gleamed on his skin, he seemed calm, focused, and ready to go for hours if necessary. 

Zuko must have noticed the airbender's fatigue as well. “You're losing it, Aang. Remember your basics!”

“This isn't a lesson, Zuko,” Aang panted, punching out another burst of flame. 

The firebender redirected it harmlessly into his own jet of fire, which the younger man barely avoided. “I think that's exactly what this is,” he replied in a low but emotional tone.

Zuko then sent a rapid fire series of flame bursts. Aang dodged and blocked each right up until the last one. That final fireball seared along his scalp just above his left ear, the skin immediately swelling, and he hissed. Zuko gave him no time to concentrate on it, though, as he continued to bend blast after blast of fire at Aang. Worn out, Aang could no longer evade them or summon the energy for his own attacks, and his flesh reddened where flame grazed him. Zuko sent one last powerful wave of flame, causing Aang to stumble, fall, and roll over onto his back. The Fire Lord strode forward and held a fist in front of the Avatar's face. “Yield,” he commanded.

Aang gazed up, his entire body slack with exhaustion. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away. “I yield. You win.”

At that, Zuko relaxed and stepped back, allowing Aang to get to his feet. The head sage announced. “The Fire Lord is the victor. Per the terms, the Avatar is henceforth banished from the Fire Nation.”

Katara shot to her feet, vaulted over the railing, and ran to Aang, who was wincing as he clambered down from the platform. Flipping open the cap of her pouch and bending water out, she immediately went for the burn at his left temple, but he ducked his head. “No,” he said. “Leave it.” 

His gaze was fixated on the couple on the other side of the room. Mai had left the risers to meet Zuko as he descended the platform; now she was inspecting the burns on his chest. As if knowing that they were being watched, they lifted their heads to return that gaze. The four stared at each other, the air between them heavy with words that trembled on the verge of being sounded, if someone would just open their mouth and speak...

The head sage appeared next to them and cleared his throat, ending the moment. “I'm afraid you must leave immediately.”

“I don't even get time to heal them?” Katara asked in surprise. The old man shook his head.

“It's okay, Katara,” Aang said. “I'll be fine until we get to Appa.” He looked again to Zuko and Mai, but they were talking to servants they had summoned. Their voices carried across the room; it was clear they were ordering the men to carry messages to the city guard, the soldiers stationed on other islands, and the naval ships patrolling the seas saying that the hunt for Ozai was back on. At this point the ex-Fire Lord was likely long gone, but the effort had to be made anyway. 

Guards arrived to lead Aang back to his rooms. Katara made to follow, but Zuko's voice stopped her. “Katara.”

She turned to find him striding up to her. “The terms of the Agni Kai, they're only binding on Aang,” he said. “You are still welcome here.” Something flashed in his gold eyes, and Katara thought she knew what he was getting at.

“Thanks, Zuko,” she replied. “Can I do something about those burns? It won't take but a second...”

“I'll be fine,” he answered brusquely. “They're not deep. Go, be with him.”

She nodded, touched his arm briefly in a farewell gesture, and hurried out of the room.

 

They were given mere minutes to change, pack their things, and depart. Each brush of Aang's clothing over his burn caused him to wince, but he mustered as much dignity as he could while they boarded Appa and took off. Once in flight, Katara eased the tunic off of him, brought out her pouch, and bent water around her hands. Once more she reached to the streak of blistered scalp above his left ear, but he stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm. “I'm going to keep that one, as a reminder.”

“To be just like Zuko, hm?” she asked. “Well, not exactly like his scar, but close enough.” Her sigh was both exasperated and affectionate. “You can be kind of dramatic sometimes.” 

Her hands floated over the burns on his chest, the water on them glowing a faint blue. The splotches of white and dark pink slowly turned back into his normal olive tone. As she worked, Katara asked softly. “May I ask you a question?”

Aang grunted in the affirmative.

“Was freeing Ozai your plan all along?”

He watched her hands move. “Kind of. Not really. A bit.”

She blew out sharply. “Well, which is it?”

“Before visiting him, I did buy him some clothes, but I didn't have a plan or anything. I was sort of moving on auto pilot while my mind was elsewhere. Then when I saw him, I was sure what I had to do.”

The waterbender gently turned him with her hands and began work on the blisters on his arm. “Was it worth it?”

Aang's head sunk, his eyes closed. “I don't know.”

A moment of silence, and then Katara said, “Sokka needs to get back up to Ba Sing Se before winter sets in. I know we were going to go with him but if you don't feel up to it, he can always take a ship instead...”

“No, we can still go.”

Katara bent the water back into her bag, capped it, and pulled him into her arms. “Happy birthday,” she murmured into his ear. 

Aang groaned. “I think I liked it better when I just treated it like any other day.”

Katara chuckled, but then grew serious. With a light finger she tilted his face up to hers. “I still don't agree with what you did, but I love you, and I do trust you.”

That earned her a smile. “I love you too. And thanks.”

“And Zuko cares about you. I think he'll forgive you, eventually.”

Aang buried his face in her shoulder and said nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mohandas Gandhi was the leader of the movement to free India from Britain in the early 20th century.


	7. Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now banished from the Fire Nation, Aang meets his friends at the Jasmine Dragon and talks with Iroh.

_"Genuine compassion is based not on our own projections and expectations, but rather on the rights of the other: irrespective of whether another person is a close friend or an enemy, as long as that person wishes for peace and happiness and wishes to overcome suffering, then on that basis we develop a genuine concern for his or her problems. This is genuine compassion." - The Dalai Lama_

 

“You're an idiot,” Toph snapped as soon as Aang finished recounting the duel. “Way to make a complete mess of things. Nice job.” Then she added, “I can't believe you lost.” Then, “I can't believe you didn't invite me!” Then, “You're such an idiot.”

When no one spoke, she scrunched up her face. “What, nothing to say to that, airhead? And you guys!” This was directed at Sokka and Katara. “You're not even reacting! Aren't you mad?”

“I was mad,” Katara answered from her place at the small table across from Toph, “and then I watched Zuko nearly burn him to a crisp, and figured that was punishment enough.” She took another sip of her mint tea. 

Sokka leaned back in his chair and popped one of the small honey cakes in his mouth. “I gave it to him good on the way here. I'm all yelled out. Still mad, though, believe me.”

“Ew, Sokka, you're spewing crumbs.” Katara made a face and inched away from her brother and closer to Aang, who was glaring sullenly at his own tea cup. In response to his sister, Sokka grabbed another cake and chomped on it. “Don't be a cowpig,” she chided him. “Aang hasn't had any yet.”

“Aang doesn't get any because he was dumb.” 

“Can you please stop talking about me like I'm not here?” Aang blurted out. “If you're going to be mad at me, be mad to my face.”

“Fine,” Toph retorted, turning to face him, though her clouded eyes gazed blankly over his shoulder. “I'm really, really ticked at you, Aang.” He didn't miss that she used his real name. “Did you even think about how we would feel? Cause not only did you completely screw up everything you did last year, you also put us in the middle between you two.”

“No, I didn't” he said defensively.

“Yes, you did!” she shot back, raising her voice.

“Guys,” Katara hissed, her eyes darting around to the other patrons of the Jasmine Dragon who were beginning to stare. Not that they hadn't already been looking, as Aang always drew looks wherever he went, but now they were staring not from awe but from irritation.

Aang gave her an apologetic glance, then turned back to Toph. “It's your fault anyway.”

“My fault!” the blind girl gasped, obligingly keeping her voice down, but barely. “I didn't make you bust out Mr. Crazypants.”

“But you're the one who made me feel guilty for what I did. I was fine before you said anything.”

“I just wanted you to be aware of what people were saying. I never meant for you to take it that far...”

Sokka cut Toph short, using his take charge voice. “Look, what's done is done. Instead of harping on about it, maybe we can help Zuko.” From somewhere in his tunic he brought out his old dragon-shaped pipe—Aang marveled that he still had that thing—and started blowing through it. The lantern light shone rainbows on the little iridescent soap bubbles as they drifted over frowning customers.“Let us attempt to deduce where Ozai might have gone. I doubt he's still in the Fire Nation, because he's an easily recognizable guy. I mean, they all pretty much worshiped him, right?” He wrinkled his nose. “Wait a minute, that's not the direction I wanted to go with this...”

Toph blew her bangs off of her cheeks, deliberately turning away from Aang. “I think what Detective Doofus is trying to say is that Ozai couldn't stay in the Fire Nation too long, because surely someone would be happy to grab him for whatever reward Zuko's offering, not to mention the prestige and fame. So Loser Lord probably got off the islands right away.”

“But,” continued Sokka, too far into his train of thought to be bothered by Toph's teasing, “he'd go to where he'd be most likely to find allies. A place where the Fire Nation has no jurisdiction but is full of people used to Fire Nation rule...”

“The former colonies,” Katara said.

“Elementary, my dear Katara,” Sokka replied with an air of satisfaction. He blew on his pipe and more bubbles floated into the air. “Now that they are independent, Ozai would find them the best place to hide, as long as he kept himself out of the clutches of mercenaries looking to get the reward. Probably changed his name, cut his hair and shaved his beard...”

“Guys,” interrupted Aang. “Please don't track him down. Just leave him be. I lost a lot to give him his freedom, to give him the chance to start over.” He hated how pathetic his pleas sounded, so he attempted a more confident tone. “Besides, how much harm could he do now?”

The other three went very quiet and still. Finally Sokka offered in his most sarcastic tone, “You want to think about that question some more, Aang?”

“Sorry, Aang,” Toph retorted. “You want to stand by your convictions, fine, but we're not bound by them.”

“We're with Zuko on this one,” Sokka said. “And we're going to help him put his dad back behind bars.”

Though her sightless eyes focused on nothing, Toph's lips were set in a thin, determined line. Sokka sat with folded arms, his steady gaze hard as ice. Katara, though, was bent over her teacup, her expression torn and miserable.

“I can respect that,” Aang finally said. “But I hope you don't succeed.”

“Come on, Toph.” Sokka pushed his chair back. “Let's go plan. We can head out tomorrow morning.”

“Don't you have some big meeting tomorrow?” she asked him as she stood. “Something about a new trade agreement?”

“Totally skippable,” he said, the rest of his words buried under the conversations of the other patrons as they headed out of the tea shop.

Beside Aang, Katara was fiddling with the fold of her tunic. He took one of her hands, causing her to look up. “I'm sorry I put you in the middle between me and our friends. Especially your brother.”

“I know you are,” she said, “but that doesn't make it any easier. I thought I was okay, but I didn't realize how hard it would be to listen the three of you fighting.” Her hand slipped out of his grasp as she rose. “I need some time to myself for a while.”

After she left, Aang slumped down into his seat and closed his eyes. A movement at his elbow caused him to look up, and panic hit him like a punch to the gut. They had been led to their table by a server he didn't know and the owner of the Jasmine Dragon had not emerged from the back this whole time, likely busy with brewing tea for the endless stream of customers. Aang had been so preoccupied with his friends' anger that he didn't even think about Iroh's feelings, or what would happen when he encountered the former crown prince. Dumb. Dumb dumb dumb...

“You must hate me,” he blurted to Iroh's stomach.

“Actually, I came to ask you a favor,” answered the older man. “My server's sister is having a baby. Would you help me finish cleaning up so she can go home early?”

“Uh, sure,” answered Aang, puzzled at Iroh's soft, even tone. Standing and looking around, he became aware that only he and the older man were left in the teashop. Cups and plates lay scattered on tables amidst crumbs and linen napkins, benches sat at untidy angles. Iroh wordlessly handed Aang a clean, damp rag and began clearing the dishes off the tables. Catching on, Aang wiped each cleared table clean and pushed the benches back under. When that task was done, Iroh gave him a broom and gestured to the floor. The airbender briefly considered bending up a gust of wind to blow the dirt out the door, but something deep inside advised him that he should use the broom instead. The act of sweeping was strangely soothing, almost like meditating. His mind emptied, his worries drifted away. Before he knew it, the shop was clean. 

Iroh was in the kitchen, the dishes he had collected stacked on the counter beside him. Aang joined him at the huge tub filled with soapy water, taking a brush in one hand, a plate in the other, dunking both into the tub and beginning to scrub.

“Hard work has a cleansing quality to it,” the old firebender observed, taking the plate from Aang and drying it with a hot breath.

“Yeah,” agreed the young man, thinking back to his chores at the temple so long ago.

“News of what you did traveled quickly,” Iroh said, his tone still conversational but taking on a solemn edge. “I found out even before the hawk arrived with my nephew's letter. A certain Earth Kingdom Ambassador was sent back before he could finish his negotiations, and he told the owner of his favorite tea shop all about it. And anyone else who would listen. I imagine everyone in the kingdom knows by now.”

“Great,” sighed Aang. “So much for keeping it between Zuko and me and our friends.” He shot a sorrowful glance at Iroh. “You must be pretty upset.”

Iroh nodded gravely. “I was shocked, worried for my nephew and future niece, and yes, angry. You do not understand the complexities of my nation's politics, and your hasty Agni Kai might have helped the Fire Lord save face, but it comes with its own problems.” He dried the dish he was holding, put it in the cupboard, and turned to face Aang. “I would like to hear from your own lips what convinced you to take such drastic action.”

Aang explained to him the situation, starting with Toph's words, then his talk with Katara, and finally his encounter with Ozai and how deeply that had disturbed him.

“I didn't think it through,” he finished, “and I'm sorry I wrecked my friendship with Zuko. I hate that I can't go help him if Ozai does try anything. But, despite all that, I still feel like I did the right thing. I believe in second chances. I believe in redemption.”

Iroh fell into pensive silence, resuming his work. Aang was finishing the last dish when he finally spoke again. “In Ozai's mind, the power of his bending and the power of his rule were one and the same. It consumed him. His whole identity became wrapped up in it. So I'm sure that having his bending taken away from him would cause him to feel as if he was missing a part of himself. Our friend Toph depends on earthbending so much she can't imagine life without it, so she too would be deeply affected. However, my bending is only a small part of who I am. To take it away from me would not change me much.”

Aang puzzled over this. “But...that's a moot point. I wouldn't have to do that to you because you wouldn't try to destroy the world.”

“Maybe I wouldn't have slaughtered thousands in a blaze of fire,” Iroh conceded, “but don't forget, I besieged this very city for almost two years. I once believed very strongly in my father and grandfather's vision of a united world under Fire Nation rule and was willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives to that cause. Were you to have met me then, what would you have done?”

Aang's answer was automatic. “Stopped you or died trying.”

Iroh nodded. “Then what?”

“I guess...sent you back to the Fire Nation.”

“Would it be your call what happened to me next, or the Fire Lord's?”

The Avatar gazed into the eyes of the Dragon of the West. “I would want it to be your own call what you did next. Then I would hope you would find the right path.”

Iroh suddenly broke into a wide smile, making Aang feel relieved and a little like he had passed some kind of test. “That is the kind of answer I would expect from you.” The older man grew serious. “I am afraid Ozai will disappoint you. He will likely spend the rest of his life scheming his way back into power by any means possible, assuming my nephew does not manage to capture him. Although the throne itself is no longer an option for my brother, there are other avenues. Still, there is always the possibility that he proves you right and me wrong. Can men repent and change their ways, or are they slaves to an unalterable nature? I don't have the answer. But if we never give second chances, we will never know.”

“So...you forgive me?” Aang asked.

“Forgiveness isn't mine to give,” Iroh answered. “But despite my reservations, I do hope that my brother will take this chance you have given him and become a better person. As I did.”

“Thanks, Iroh,” Aang said, meaning it with all his heart. 

The firebender took the last dish from him, dried it with a hot breath, and put it away. “Come, let me walk you home.”

The first stars were twinkling in a violet sky as Iroh locked the door of the teashop and the two set off. They did not speak. No more words were necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is a spiritual leader to all that follow the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.


End file.
